Double cone reel



Dec. 15, 1953 F. M. LITTELL DOUBLE CONE REEL Filed April 20, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet l @www mdefafor.

Dec. l5, 1953 F. M. L11-TELL 2,662,698

DOUBLE GONE REEL Filed April 20, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 www HIHIHHHHHIII uw n lumiH1 rhin-nii ..lzyefox @n M, @MMM Dec. 15, 1953 F. M. LITTELL DOUBLE GONE REEL 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 20, 1951 Dec. 15, 1953 F. M. LITTELL vDOUBLE com: REEL 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 20, 1951 y MNH,

n? w NIW mul WIWI] MHH Patented Dec. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 27,662,698 DOUBLE GONE REEL Frederick M. Lttell, Chicago, Ill., assignor to F; J. Littell Machine Company; Chicago, Ill.,a

corporation of Illinois Application April 20 1951i,Y L:Slfill NQ- 221,985

(Cl. 2.42f-78) Claims. 1

The invention relatesto reels for supporting coils ci 'metal stool; lfor rotation and has refer;- ence more particularly to double cone reclsof improved construction which. will have utility in rotatably supporting coils regardless of their width so that the metal strip can be uniformly withdrawn therefrom' as vrequired by various processing operations conventionally performed on such metal stock.

.en early and commercially practical form of double cone reel is shown in the patent to Moxf ley, No. 1,990,084, granted February 5, 1935. The apparatus ofthis patent includes a pair of coil supporting members supported on conventional ways or guides and adapted to be moved simultaneously in directions toward and away from each other. For loading the double cone reel the coil of meta-l 'strip is rolled down a ramp onto a lifting saddle which is employed to elevate the coil for coaction with the coil supporting members. it is extremely diilicult to position the heavy coil on the exact center between the coil supporting members but in the event'this is not done so that Vthe col is located oil-center, then it is nece ary for the operatorto bodily move the coillby rising manual means of some vsort or by employing one of the coil supporting members as a thrust applying means to move the coil laterally in an amount sufficient to properly center the coil. In either case the handling of the heavy coil is diflicult and most unsatsfactory and Severe damage very often results especially to the side edges of the strip material.

An object oi the present invention resides in improved coil handling apparatus' ofthe double cone type whereby an oil-center coil can be eas.u ily and precisely recenterled.

A morespecic object of the invention resides in the provision of a double cone reel embodying improved centering features whereby an offcenter coil can 'be engaged by the coil supporting members in the usual manner for rotatably Sup-y porting the coil and whereby the entire'unit can then be moved laterally in either direction 'for precise centering of the coil.

A further object is to provide recentering structure for a double cone reel which'will employ hydraulic means for laterally shifting the coil supporting members and their threaded connecting shaft as a unit, and which members at the time may have engaged relation with a coil for 170th@- bly supporting the coil lin the Yconventiorial man'.- ner. i vv. Y Y

Another object is to provide a double cone reel including coil supporting members equipped'with rollers for mounting Ythe said coil supporting members for substantially frictionless movement on the conventionalA ways or guides 'of a supporting frame. As a result oitheroller mounting for the coil supporting members it'is possible to center th'ecoil on the'reelwith a minimum expenditure of force and this' is particularly so when the coil supporting members engage Yand mount a coil for rotation.

A further object resides in the provision of roller mounted coil supporting members which are operatively connected by a 'threaded shaft having a right hand threaded section in engage ment with one coil supporting member and a left hand threaded 'section in yengagernent with the other coil supportingmeinber, whereby the members may be moved towznfdor from 'each other byv rotation ofthe shaft.' Spline Vstructure is provided at one end of the threaded shaft for couplingl the shaft to drivingV means by vwhich the shaft is rotated.' Suchsplinestructure is necessary Vfor the recenter-ing' feature since the structure permits movement 'of the threaded shaft in axial. directions under the'thrust imparted thereto 'by an hydraulic cylinder for centering the coil.4 l

Another object is to provide an improved double cone reel having a coilcushioning or protective saddleY for absorbingfthe impact of the heavy coil whenthe same is rolled into'position between the coil supporting members of the reel. The cushioning saddle is located on respective sides of a lifting saddle and an Ahydraulic cylinder' is employed 'for relevating the cushioning saddle whereby thesame 'is located'in operative position for absorbing the initial impact off the coil as it is rolled into'the reel and which can then be operated for gently depositing the coil onto the liftingsaddlc.v

With these and various other objects in view, the invention may consistof certain novel features of constrliction and operation, as will be more 4fully described' and particularly pointed out in the Scsci'eiinf ,drawings and claims appended thereto',A f

In the'drawings which illustrate an embodi ment of the` device and' wherein like reference Characters' are used if? designate like, parts Figure l is a .Side lcvatbnal'vew of a double cone ,reel ,constructd 'torderiwith and emv bocinas the .improved features Qi the present in VCIQOQ; 'W

Fgf t 2 l5 i t9@ 121er; View .0f the @subie @one reel as shawl, in Eielire'l, this new clearly illustrating the lifting saddleV and the cushioning saddle having associated relation with each other;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view with the coil supporting members and saddles being removed in order to disclose the threaded operating shaft, the spline structure therefor, and the hydraulic means, all of which constitute the recentering feature of the invention;

Figure 4 is an end view showing in elevation the right hand end of the double cone reel as illustrated in Figure l with a second coil being shown supported on the ramp and with the operative position of the cushioning saddle being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken transversely of the reel approximately through the cushioning and lifting saddles in order to illustrate the construction of these parts;

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view illustrating the spline structure at one end of the threaded operating shaft;

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view illustrating the roller bearing for mounting the other end of the threaded operating shaft; and

Figure 8 is a detail sectional View showing the hardened rollers and their guides which are provided for the coil supporting members to permit substantially frictionless movement of the members on conventional ways of the supporting frame.

The coil handling apparatus selected for illustrating the present invention essentially consists of coil supporting members I0 and II which are supported for substantially frictionless rolling movement on conventional ways or guides of a supporting frame structure generally indicated by the numeral I2. Each coil supporting member journals a coil supporting cone I3 and I4, respectively, each cone being backed by a plate I5. The cone I3 is suitably journalled by member I0 through the instrumentality of shaft I6, the said shaft being provided with a worm, not shown, but which is located in the gear housing I'I, and which gear has operative connection with similar worm gear structure contained in housing I8. The shaft projects from housing I8 and the pulley 2I is suitably secured thereto. The said pulley has operative connection with motor 22 positioned within the frame of member I0 and as a result the cone I3 is driven for rotating the coil 23 of metal stock supported thereby in a paying-off direction. The base 24 for the motor is pivoted at 25 and by means of the turnbuckle connection 26 the position of the motor 22 can be varied to vary the tension on the belts 2T. The idler cone I4 is journalled by member il through the instrumentality of shaft 23, said shaft being suitably mounted in housing 30 for free rotation.

The coil supporting members I0 and II are adapted to ride in an axial direction to and fro on the built-up structure previously identified by numeral I2. The frame structure may consist of spaced side plates 3| and 32, each being supported on a base member 33 which has direct contact with the foundation such as indicated by numeral 34, which may be of concrete or the like. The members 3|, 32 and 33 extend for the length of the coil handling apparatus and the spaced side members, namely, 3I and 32, provide supports for conventional ways or guides 35 and 36, respectively. The rollers of the coil supporting members to be presently described in detail roll on the ways 35 and36 for which purpose the ways are provided with hardened steel insets 37, as best shown in Figure 8. A vertical spacer or '4 partition 38 extends between each lower way 35 and its corresponding upper way 4D, said ways being vertically spaced thereby to accommodate the hardened steel insert and a roller 4I of the coil supporting member.

As previously stated, the coil supporting members I6 and I I are roller mounted on the ways 35 and 36 provided by the supporting frame structure. For this purpose each member is provided with depending side pieces 42 and 43 on the respective sides of the member to which the rollers 4I of the member are supported. As best shown in Figure 8, the journalling shaft for each roller, indicated by numeral 44, is provided with an enlarged head portion 45. The head portion retains the roller 4I on the shaft end which carries roller bearings 46 to insure substantially frictionless rotation. The end of shaft 44, projecting beyond the side piece 42, is suitably threaded for receiving the securing nut 4'I. To insure proper lubrication for the roller 4I and the roller bearing 46 the shaft 44 is provided with passages such as 48 through which lubricant may be forced in any well known manner.

In the operation of placing a coil of metal stock on the double cone reel, as herein disclosed, it is customary to move the coil supporting members so that the cones I3 and I4 will be spaced a distance greater than the width of the coil to be supported thereby. The coil is then elevated to align the center opening in the coil with the cones, and then the coil supporting members ID and Il are moved in a direction toward each other. This simultaneous movement of the members toward and from each other is accomplished by means of a threaded shaft indicated by numeral 50. Said shaft extends from one end of the coil handling apparatus to substantially adjacent the other end and the shaft has two threaded sections, one section 5I having right hand threads and the other section 52 having left hand threads. Structure 53, which is xed to the coil supporting member I0, has threaded relation with section 5I of the threaded shaft. In a similar manner coil supporting member II has structure 54 in threaded relation with section 52 of the shaft. It will therefore be manifestly clear that as shaft 50 is rotated in one direction, the right and left hand threads on the sections respectively will cause movement of the coil supporting members and thus the cones in a direction away from each other, whereas opposite rotation of shaft 50 will effect in a similar manner movement of the members and thus the cones in a direction toward each other.

The shaft 50 is rotated by motor 55 conveniently located in the frame structure I2 between side frames 3l and 32 and at one end of the coil handling apparatus. Belts such as 56 operatively connect the motor to the pulley 5'I of gear reducing mechanism such as indicated by numeral 58. A portion of such gear reducing mechanism is shown in Figure 6 and which is provided with the shaft 60 which is accordingly driven at the desired speed upon energization of motor 55.

VThe collar 6I is suitably keyed to the supporting the box guide 98 and in order to accommodate the said shaft and permit vertical movements of the box guide the opposing side walls of the same are provided with vertical slots |02. Also it will be observed that the piston rod |03 and the hydraulic cylinder |04 are offset so as not to interfere with the threaded shaft 50. The piston rod |83 is secured at its upper end as at |05 to the lifting saddle 91. The cylinder |04 at the opposite end of the structure is pivoted at |05 to the base member |01 which is suitably fixed to and supported from the box frame |00. Piping such as |08 and |09 connects with the hydraulic cylinder |04 to form ports for the cylinder and through which pressure fluid is either supplied or exhausted to effect movement of piston rod |03 whereby to elevate or lower the saddle S1.

In Figure 4, an extra coil, indicated by numeral 23a, is shown in dotted lines supported on the ramp l0 and held against rolling movement by the latch When coil 23 has been used up and it is desired to locate coil 23a on the double cone reel the latch is withdrawn and the coil is allowed to roll down the ramp to take its position between the coil supporting members I0 and which have been moved apart to accommodate the coil. The present invention provides a protective saddle or a cushioning saddle ||2 for the purpose of absorbing the initial impact of the rolling coil as the same leaves the ramp'and to gently ease the coil onto its lifting saddle 91 so as to eliminate the possibility of any damage being done to the coil in this initial loading operation of the same. The cushioning saddle H2 is pivoted to the frame structure by the pivot pin ||3 and said structure is preferably rectangular so as to have encompassing relation with the lifting saddle, all as clearly shown in Figure 2. The top surface of the saddle may be equipped with rubber pads Illi as an additional protective measure against damage to the coil of metal stock. v

The power cylinder for controlling the elevating and lowering movements of the cushioning saddle is indicated by numeral ||5, the cylinderbeing pivoted in a conventional manner at I6 to plates ||1 forming part of the frame structure. The piston rod H0 extending from the opposite end of the cylinder is pivoted in any suitable manner as at |26 to the cushioning saddle. Piping |2| and |22 is shown as having connection with the cylinder at the respective ends of the same whereby to provide ports for the pressure fluid supplied and exhausted therefrom. Before latch is removed to release coil 23a the cushioning saddle 2 is elevated by operation of cylinder 5 to position the saddle as shown in dotted lines, Figure 4. The coil 23a will roll onto the elevated saddle which will cushion its impact and thus prevent damage to the metal of the coil. The cushioning saddle also operates to prevent bouncing back and forth of the coil, which action would otherwise take place were it not for the saddle. The next operation is to lower the cushioning saddle |2 which gently deposits the coil onto the lifting saddle 91.

The spline structure at one end of the threaded shaft 50 and the power cylinder at the opposite end of said threaded shaft constitute essential features in connection with recentering of the coil. Since the shaft 50 is movable in lateral directions to an extent as permitted by the spline structure, it necessarily follows that the coil supporting members |0 and are likewise movable and for this reason the invention provides rollers for the coil supporting members having substan- 8 tially frlctionless mounting on their stud shafts and which roll on hardened steel inserts. Were it not for this roller mounting of the coil supporting members it would be extremely difficult to properly re-center a coil, owing to the tremendous force which would be required to move the unitary assembly. The hydraulic cylinder S2 is entirely satisfactory for supplying the desired force required for re-centering the coil when the members are roller mounted as herein described. In rolling the coil down the ramp and onto the reel due caution must be observed to maintain the coil approximately centered as regards the reel.

It very seldom happens that the coil is located off center more than six or eight inches. r)Therefore the coil re-centering structure of this invention is entirely satisfactory for all practical purposes. It is further necessary to reasonably control the speed with which the coil enters the reel. The cushioning saddle I2 will absorb considerable impact such as may be initially applied and by absorbing the same the coil is prevented from rocking back and forth. Release of the hydraulic pressure in cylinder |5 will deposit the coil onto the lifting saddle 91 which is then actuated to elevate the coil so as to align the openings in the same With the cones which are then moved toward each other to rotatably mount the coil and which may be positively driven by cone I3 to pay out the strip material in the usual manner.

The invention is not to be limited to or by details of construction of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by the drawings, as various other forms of the device will of course be apparent to those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

1. In coil handling apparatus, a longitudinal frame, a pair of coil supporting members mounted on said frame for movement toward and from each other, a shaft extending lengthwise of the frame and having a section at one end provided with right hand threads and a section at the other end provided with left hand threads, one coil supporting member having connection with the right hand threaded section and the other coil supporting member having connection with the left hand threaded section, driving means for rotating the shaft operatively connecting with one end of the shaft through a spline connection whereby to permit lengthwise movement of the shaft, and power means at the opposite end of the shaft for moving the same lengthwise.

2. Coil handling apparatus as defined by claim 1, additionally including rollers journalled by each coil supporting member whereby the member has rolling movement on the frame, hardened steel inserts provided by the frame on which said rollers are adapted to roll, and wherein the driving means for rotating the threaded shaft comprises an electric motor and the power means for moving the threaded shaft lengthwise comprises a pressure cylinder.

3. In coil handling apparatus, a longitudinal frame including spaced guideways, a pair of coil supporting members mounted on said spaced guideways for movement toward and from each other, a threaded shaft located substantially centrally between the spaced guideways and extending lengthwise of the frame, said threaded shaft having right hand threads at one end and left hand threads at its other end, means provided by each coil supporting member having threaded connection with the shaft respectively, whereby rotation of the threaded shaft in one direction effects movement of the coil supporting members away from each other and rotation of the shaft in an opposite direction effects movement of the members toward each other, driving means for rotating the shaft in either direction, spline structure at one end of the shaft operatively connecting the shaft to said driving means whereby to permit lengthwise movement of the shaft while maintaining operative connection therewith for rotating the same, and a pressure cylinder connecting with the shaft at its opposite end for effecting movement of the shaft and the connected coil supporting members in directions lengthwise of the frame.

4. Coil handling apparatus as dened by claim 3, additionally including rollers journalled by each coil supporting member for roller mounting the member on the spaced guideways of the frame, hardened steel inserts provided by said frame on which said rollers are adapted to roll, and wherein said driving means for rotating the shaft comprises an electric motor.

5. In a double cone reel, the combination including longitudinal frame structure, a pair of coil supporting members mounted on the frame for rolling movement toward and from each other, means for effecting such movement of the coil supporting members including a threaded shaft extending lengthwise of the frame, said shaft having a right hand threaded section in threaded engagement with one coil supporting member and having a left hand threaded section in threaded engagement with the other coil supporting member, driving means for rotating the shaft in either direction and having operative connection therewith at one end, and means for centering a coil supported by said coil supporting members comprising a spline connection at said end of the shaft interposed between the same and the driving means therefor, whereby to permit lengthwise movement of the unitary assembly including the shaft, coil supporting members and coil, and power means having connection with the shaft at its opposite end for eiecting movement of the unitary assembly in directions lengthwise of the frame. v

6. A double cone reel as dened by claim 5, additionally including coil supporting cones journalled for rotation by the coil supporting members respectively, and driving means carried by one of said coil supporting members for rotating its cone whereby to produce rotation of the coil when rotatably supported by the cones.

7. In a device for rotatably supporting and centering a coil of strip material, the combination of a bed frame, coil supporting members movable along the frame, coil supporting cones journalled by the supporting members, screw shaft means extending lengthwise of the bed frame and having right and left hand threaded sections in threaded engagement with the coil supporting members respectively, means for rotating the screw shaft means to simultaneously move said coil supporting members toward or away from each other, whereby the coil supporting cones are caused to engage and rotatably support a coil, and means for centering the coil including spline structure in operative association with the screw shaft means and interposed between the screw shaft means and the means for rotating the same, whereby to permit lengthwise movement with respect to the frame of the 10 unitary assembly including the screw shaft means, the coil supporting members in threaded connection therewith and the coil rotatably supported thereby.

8. A device for rotatably supporting and centering a coil of strip material as defined by claim '7, additionally including power means xed to the bed frame and operative to effect lengthwise movement of the unitary assembly for centering purposes.

9. In coil handling apparatus, the combination with a frame, of a pair of coil supporting means mounted on the frame for horizontal movement in directions longitudinally of the frame, a coil lifting saddle posiitoned centrally between the coil supporting means and mounted for vertical movement transversely of the longitudinal axis of the frame, means for moving the coil lifting saddle vertically in an upward direction whereby to elevate a coil supported by the saddle and align the coil with said coil supporting means, a cushioning saddle disposed in adjacent relation with the coil lifting saddle, means pivotally securing the cushioning saddle to the frame at one side of the frame to provide a pivot axis for the cushioning saddle which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the frame but displaced laterally of the center of the frame, and other means separate and independent from said rst mentioned means and located adjacent the frame on the side opposite said pivot axis for eifecting pivotal movement of said cushioning saddle, whereby the cushioning saddle may be located in an elevated operative position or in a lowered inoperative position.

10. In coil handling apparatus, the combination with a frame, of a pair of coil supporting means mounted on the frame for horizontal movement in directions longitudinally of the frame, a coil lifting saddle positioned substantially centrally between the coil supporting means and mounted for vertical movement transversely of the longitudinal axis of the frame, means for moving the coil lifting saddle vertically in an upward direction whereby to elevate a coil supported by the saddle and align the coil with said coil supporting means, a cushioning saddle in the form of an open rectangular frame disposed in adjacent relation with the lifting saddle and with the lifting saddle located within the rectangular opening of the frame, means pivotally securing the cushioning saddle to the frame of the coil handling apparatus at one side of the frame to provide a pivot axis for the cushioning saddle which is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the frame but displaced laterally of the center of the frame, and a pressure cylinder located adjacent the frame on the side opposite said pivot axis for eiecting pivotal movement of the cushioning saddle, whereby the cushioning saddle may be located in an elevated operative position or in a lowered inoperative position.

FREDERICK M. LITTELL.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,990,084 Moxley Feb. 5, 1935 2,262,118 Sieger Nov. 11, 1941 2,298,759 Fouse Oct. 13, 1942 2,321,266 Valusek June 8, 1943 

